The big, bold Fossil Q Founder smartwatch is yours for $295 through the Google Play store

Fossil revealed the Q Founder and a selection of other smart wearable devices earlier this year, but waited until the end of November before putting its flagship Android Wear smartwatch — called the Q Founder — on sale. Now that it’s available for us to buy, we need to look at what it offers, so here’s everything you need to know about the latest traditional timepiece-inspired smartwatch on the market.

Updated on 12-08-2015 by Julian Chokkattu: Added news the Fossil Q Founder is on sale in the Google Play store.

Where to buy it

Google has added the Q Founder to the Google Play store, listing both the leather and stainless steel versions. The $295 stainless steel variant has been available since November through Fossil’s website, but the leather-strapped version, priced at $275, is still listed as “coming soon” on the Play store.

The stainless steel Q Founder is also available to purchase through Fossil’s website ,where it’s also priced at $295 in the U.S., or £280 in the UK. While the U.S. price is competitive, it falls in the same range as the Watch Urbane from LG, it’s one of the most expensive Android Wear options in the UK. The leather-strapped version is available on Fossil’s website.

Powered by Intel and Android Wear

The Q Founder is the result of Fossil’s close partnership with Intel and Google, and it’s the former’s Atom processor inside the watch, rather than the more common Qualcomm Snapdragon chip seen in other devices. Google has provided the Android Wear operating system, ensuring the Q Founder works with both Android and iOS smartphones, plus Fossil has added a selection of its own tweaks to the OS.

These are available through the Fossil Q app, which is separate to Google’s Android Wear app, and provides alternative Fossil designed watch faces, plus a feature called Q Curiosity, where little (and often very silly) challenges are presented each day. The aim is to ‘make every day a little more interesting than the last,’ according to Fossil. There’s also comprehensive fitness tracking.

Fossil has chosen a screen similar to the one used on the Moto 360 smartwatch, so it has the familiar flat-tire, not-quite-circular look. The Intel Atom processor isn’t named, and neither is the amount of RAM. There’s 4GB of internal memory though, along with sensors for activity tracking, and Bluetooth. The 400mAh battery has an estimated 24-hours of usage before it needs recharging on the special, included base plate.

Those with thin wrists may want to try the Fossil Q Founder out for size, because it’s a hefty, big-screen smartwatch. The face is 46mm wide and 13mm thick, which is about the same width as the LG Watch Urbane, but several millimetres thicker. The IP67-rated water resistant body is also heavier at just over 71 grams, a lot more than the 50 gram Apple Watch Sport for example, but this is to be expected given the stainless steel strap.

We’ll continue updating this post with all the news regarding Fossil’s Q Founder, so check back often.

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